Ch.145 Apostle of the Goddess of War
âSurrender?â
âItâs a custom to host even an enemy emissary. Isnât that how it works in your world?â
âSo Iâve heard.â
Heâd never actually served as an emissary in hostile territory.
If this counted as his first such experience, then so be it.
Even this seemingly romantic principle was part of Goddessly culture.
This encounter made Sion reassess the Goddesses entirely.
Achilleâthe Goddess of War closest to himâwas so approachable and human that heâd never grasped their true grandeur.
âHow graciously weâve treated youâfine food, warm hospitality. Weâve shown our respect. Now, consider carefully.â
âI have no intention of surrendering. If thatâs what you hoped for, your offer was meaningless, Lady Magoth.â
Magoth chuckled lightlyâamused that an Apostle of War would add the honorific âLady.â
âMy offer of surrender is⊠different in nature.â
She gazed toward the pond beyond the garden, where Goddesses splashed in tea-time play. Fresh laughter floated over.
Then she turned back to Sion.
âItâs a form of co-governanceâa pact.â
âA pact?â
Sion was certain now.
âWhatever their scheme, they clearly donât desire all-out war.â
He searched Magothâs eyes for deception.
Deep. Infinitely deep.
Her black pupils held a depth surpassing even the abyss or the deep seaâlike a single jewel containing the cosmos.
âEruâmy foolish sisterâchose dissolution. She meant to perish with me.â
Unexpected.
Magoth gestured for Sion to sit beside her on a stone benchâadorned with intricate carvings.
âDid the Evil Gods carve these themselves?â
Sion sat, facing the garden, where Goddesses played like children.
Magoth resumed:
âBut I donât wish to vanish. And with Eru gone, my will to fight has greatly weakened.â
ââŠâ
âWhat nonsenseâŠâ
Magoth stared into the empty air, eyes steeped in melancholy.
Silence fell. Sion waited, unsure how to respond.
He needed to hear more.
âI wish to cleanse my dishonor and be accepted once more as a Goddess. In return, weâll cease killing humans and rule as benevolent deities.â
Plop.
It felt like a clump of rot had dropped onto a muddy floorâdisgusting, yet demanding inspection.
âWhat did she just say?â
As if awaiting his reaction, Magoth added:
âI wish to manifest the Heavens upon the mortal plane.â
âThe Heavens?â
âTopple the human royalty and seat the Goddesses in their place. Wouldnât humanity benefit from praying to real, living Goddesses?â
âAnd youâd promise peace in that scenario?â
Magoth closed her eyes, took a long breath, and confessed sincerely:
âIt will be difficult. You and the other Goddesses may never accept it. But I speak without a shred of falsehood.â
Sion sensed her power intensifyingârealizing she was exercising immense restraint.
A sovereign whoâd ruled for eonsâ
Sheâd likely never humbled herself so before a mere mortal.
âThe fact that sheâs even speaking to me shows sincerity.â
Yet her true intent remained uncertain.
This could be a sweet offer to lower his guardâthen stab him in the back.
âAccept my proposal, and no more blood will be spilled. We only seek to reclaim our rightful place as Goddesses.â
âThatâs⊠problematic.â
Sion spoke.
âHow so?â
âSuch an important matter should be discussed with the Goddessesânot with me. I hold no authority to decide.â
Magoth shook her head calmly.
âNo. This proposal can only be made to you.â
âWhy?â
âEru chose you. As the final means to erase us. Other Goddesses pose no threat to me.â
âThenâŠâ
For a split second, Magothâs obsidian irises flickered with light.
âOnly you and Achille threaten me. You possess the power to kill meâthough even I donât know what that power is.â
âSo you believe I hold such powerâwhatever the reason.â
âBecause Eru chose you.â
The Goddess of Light clearly commanded more trust from enemies than allies.
Because she was Eru.
Because she was the Sovereign.
She must have entrusted Sion with something.
Her foresight would be fulfilled.
It was fateâunavoidable.
Fascinating how these beings, whoâd never met Sion, showed him deference born of ancient dread.
âYou call me a threatâwhy not kill me now?â
Sion challenged.
âYou could. But thatâs always an optionâand a last resort. Killing you would be a declaration of war. Even if we won, the cost would be catastrophic.â
Magoth gazed fondly at her sisters.
âTheyâre precious to me. I wonât lose any of them.â
ââŠâ
Sion looked at the Goddesses with conflicted eyes.
The more he watched, the more alien they felt.
After inflicting such horrors on humanityâhow could they laugh so innocently?
Did he appear equally monstrous to them?
He wrestled with the question.
No answer came.
He missed Achille.
He longed for his master.
âSpeak your truth. Give me your answer.â
ââŠHonestly, Iâm dizzy.â
âOnly you hold the power to negotiate. The other Goddesses would never believe meâtheyâd charge in blindly to kill me, even knowing itâs folly.â
Sion bit his tongue at Magothâs tempting words.
If the Goddessesâ reign could be peacefully established on EarthâŠ
It would be an ideal ending.
But there was no guarantee it would unfold as promised.
MoreoverâŠ
âTartaniaâs offer is bothering me.â
If Magothâs proposal were genuine, Tartaniaâs defection would be unnecessaryâthey aligned too closely.
Both claimed to reject war and seek coexistenceâgoals anyone would welcome.
âBut if that were truly their wishâŠâ
Theyâd have proposed it long ago.
Eru, of all Goddesses, understood them best.
If she resorted to self-annihilation, true peace couldnât be this simple.
âStay calm. Never yield easily.â
Sion gritted his teeth. This could all be an illusion.
He had to anchor himselfâto never lose sight of his own star.
Silently, he prayed:
âMay the Goddess of War be with me.â
She alone was his compass, his North Star.
âDo you need more time to consider?â
âYes. One more question.â
âAsk.â
âWhere is Sir Loenhaugter?â
Instantly, Magothâs aura shifted.
The shadows sheâd restrained writhed like beasts about to break loose.
âHow do you know?â
âI followed his trail here. Discovering this pocket dimension made his presence a natural assumption.â
âHeâs not a living being. Heâs energyâa vessel of knowledge.â
âIâve heard as much.â
âTartania mustâve told you.â
âYes.â
âA kind-hearted girl.â
But Magothâs eyes turned icy as she continued:
âHeâs in my custody. Part of my preparations to manifest the Heavens on Earth. Iâll remake him into a Round Tableârestoring the Heavensâ power. Think of him as a⊠replica.â
âA replica of the Round TableâŠâ
âA being I never knew existed. Eru prepared him in secret. It sends chills down my spine.â
Magoth clicked her tongue, praising the vanished Eruâeven wondering if she was still being manipulated.
âApostle of War, I wish to succeed Eruâto abandon bloodshed and build a new future.â
ââŠThen return Sir Loenhaugter.â
âThatâs impossible.â
âWhy?â
âIâm extracting his knowledgeâto gather the Holy Grail shards.â
âAnd when thatâs done⊠what of him?â
Magoth answered casually:
âOnly a shell will remain. Heâll exist eternallyâin another form. Donât project human emotions onto him. Itâs meaningless. I cannot empathize.â
âNo!â
Sion shot to his feet.
The giggling, childlike Goddesses froze and turned to him in unisonâas if theyâd been listening all along.
âI canât accept that.â
âYou cling to trivial sentiment.â
âThatâs what makes us human.â
âUnnecessary.â
Sion made his decision.
âNow I know for certainâyou must never become the Sovereign Goddess.â
âWhat did you say?â
âIf you canât understand that âtrivial sentiment,â Magoth, youâll always be an Evil God to humanity.â
ââŠâ
Magoth rose.
Her calm hair erupted like a demonâs mane. A shadow beneath her feet swelled, threatening to swallow the world.
âApostle of Warâdo not cross this river. A storm of blood will rise. Humanity will witness darkness deeper than nightâand none shall see light again.â
Magoth excelled at threats.
âThis apocalypse will be summoned by your reckless choiceââ
Her shadow coiled around Sion, lifting him off the ground.
The overwhelming might of a divine sovereignâirresistible.
âOne last chance. Cooperate. We begin anew.â
Sion met the Goddess of Darkness with eyes just as cold.
Even as darkness consumed him, the Apostle of War felt no fear.
Armored in faith, wielding a blade forged by prayer, he would not be mastered by shadow.
Slice!
Sionâs sword cleaved through the dark.
Clang!
In a flash, he put distance between himself and Magoth.
Like lightning, the moment stunned even herâher reaction delayed by surprise.
âWhere did your weapon come from?â
Sion grinned.
Magoth hadnât sensed his spatial storageâa divine domain gifted by the Goddess of War.
Though his masterâs black sword had been confiscated upon entry, his twin bladesâYogeo and Magoâremained safely hidden.
Especially Yogeo, which had devoured ambient malice and digested it completelyâits pulse now thunderous.
âItâs practically drooling for the Evil Godâs blood. What a fearsome blade.â
Born of magic, yet hungry to consume moreâeven biting its own master. Never had Yogeo felt so reliable.
âYouâŠ!â
Sion, twin blades drawn, radiated murderous intent.
The Evil Gods encircled him instantly.
It looked recklessâbut it wasnât.
Sion was the Apostle of War.
He never fought battles he couldnât win. His every move sought only victory.
Crackâ
At that exact momentâ
To the sides of Sion and Magoth, space warped like shattering glass. A rift tore open.
Whoosh!
Wind and magic surged inward as three figures stepped through.
Thud.
A radiance erupted from the fractureâdispersing even Magothâs darkness.
Menesia, hand outstretched, unraveling the pocket dimensionâs barrier.
Emily, reinforcing another barrier to repel the Evil Godsâ power.
And War.
The moment benevolent Goddesses descended upon the Evil Godsâ domain.
âMy Lady!â
Sion cried outâjoy lighting his face.
âMy child. Are you unharmed?â
The Goddess of War spoke.
Her armorâforged from divine arms Sion had never seenâglowed with wrath.
Black eyes burned with fury, ready to incinerate all they touched.
The Evil Gods murmured in dread:
âItâs⊠Achille.â
âWar has come.â
âS-someone help me upâŠâ
The buried terror of ancient battles stirred their traumaâreawakening the nightmare of the Goddess of War.
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